Why eating nuts makes you healthier, according to science

In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: If nuts are so full of fat, can they really be good for us?

There is no shortage of variety when it comes to the mighty (yet humble) nut and the ways we consume them. Dried, chopped, made into a butter or roasted (over an open fire, anyone?) these little guys provide the nutrients our brains and bodies need in surprisingly high quantities. From industrially farmed to indigenously hand-harvested, the story of these nuts is, well…nuts!

In today’s short episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Sarah ask: If nuts are so full of fat, can they really be good for us?

Studies referenced in the episode:

[giuseppecasara]

Thank for your precious information.
20 years ago i started to eat 6 cracked walnuts every day ( 6 times a week) at lunch finishing with an apple too here I am a 78 never been hospitalized so far ( keep the finger all blood test result levels are ok (cholesterol and .glycemia too)... To eat walnuts every days is a very good and healthy habit, than you can add and drink 2/3 espresso coffees ( high in antioxidants and booster of physical activity) )in the from 8 to and in the afternoon an herbal tea (infusion) of Ginger (strong ally of the stomach and digestion) and Turmeric (great purifying action with extraordinary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties).. As I woke up in the morning I drink 2 glasses of spring water while the stomach i still empty. to clean the kidneys from the toxins ..A healthy way to start the day too ..

[bettyswallocks]

One problem facing anyone wanting to grow Brazil nuts, is that they rely on a specific species of bee (Euglossine or orchid bees)to pollenate them - if the bees dies out, the Brazil nut dies out and if the tree dies out, so does the bee. The bees have to be large and strong to pry open the flower, and Euglossine bees exceptionally large, strong tongues toi enable them to do the job of pollenating Brazil flowers.

[lilytea]

1:33: ❤ Nuts have numerous health benefits, including improving heart health.
3:07: 🥜 Eating nuts has numerous health benefits, including reducing oxidized LDL levels, decreasing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity and blood vessel function, and potentially preventing memory loss.
6:25: 🥜 Nuts, particularly almonds, have a unique food matrix that reduces the number of calories absorbed by the body.
9:13: 🥜 Nuts have a unique cell structure that allows for fewer calories to be absorbed when eaten.
12:06: 🥜 Consuming whole nuts versus nut butters and ground nut powders results in different calorie absorption and nutrient absorption.
15:20: 🌳 The Brazil nut tree is a key tree in the Amazon ecosystem and cannot be grown commercially like almonds.
17:34: 🌰 Nuts are a great addition to anyone's diet, providing healthy fats and polyphenols.
Recap by Tammy AI

[AmigaCammy]

I eat way more nuts than the recommended portions, and it doesn't make me fat. Macadamias are my favourites, and thankfully they're grown here in Australia so they don't cost too much either.

[macsmiffy]

My problem is that I can’t stop eating them once I start.

[jodylutz]

Things you did not mention ... Nuts can have anti nutrients like oxalates and phytic acid ... so if you have cramping bloating and or having diarrhea ... that could be the reason ... You might try sprouted nuts for this problem ... Also do not eat nuts roasted in other oils like canola and sunflower oil ... Best to buy raw and when you want them crunchy ... toast them in a dry pan on the stove. Nuts can a have high omega6 to omega3 ratio ... Causing inflammation ... Make sure you are also eating food like fish, flax seeds and or Sacha inchi seeds to balance them out ... I take cod liver oil ... And no mention of Selenium poisoning in Brazil nuts ... You only want to eat 1 or 2 Brazil nuts a day ... I learned all this info the hard way ... Hope this info helps someone.

[ThuLe-ehxe]

Jonathan is getting better, calmer. He does not interrupt the doctors anymore. Sarah is so pretty.

[AuntyM]

I am nuts and love nuts. I always have nuts like almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and walnuts in my cupboard.

[annable]

Hello from Manchester for about the last 5-6 years I have made my own breakfast cereal from oats, all types of [chopped] nuts + seeds like Pumpkin & Sunflower + grains. In every recent blood test my blood has levels are very good. 😀

[lafamillecarrington]

I love almonds, but their carbon and water footprints are the highest of all the nuts, so I will be eating walnuts (from my garden, if I get there before the squirrel) and brazil nuts.

[elenicekraemer]

It's worth pointing out that Brazil nuts are the best dietary source of selenium.
And, I think peanuts are not real nuts; you mentioned it at some point.
Thank you for the podcast!

[Wee]

Given the massive popularity of peanuts & peanut butter, it would have been so helpful to cover the differences between the benefits of peanuts, a legume, and the nuts they are referring to in the studies.

[richardmiddleton]

Eating any natural unprocessed food makes you healthier, not just nuts. The array of natural unprocessed foods available to us 24/7 is quite remarkable yet people eat takeaways and go to McDonalds! 🤷‍♂️.

[Elless]

I have a little cocktail of nuts daily though not sure how much it weighs. I’ll check tomorrow! Pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, pistachio and 1-2 Brazils. I read somewhere they can be toxic so best to limit them. Don’t know whether that’s true or not. Cashews are my favourite but if I have them in the house I just eat them by the fistful so they have to be an occasional treat! I don’t know if it’s better to have 30g of one type one day then another the next but I prefer the variety in one go. Hopefully my gut microbes are happy!

[the_black_douglas]

The culture around the Brazil Nut story is similar to the Bunya nut here in Australia. Massive tree, related to the Monkey Puzzle tree, that produces 20kg cones with up to 100 nuts each. They’ll kill you if you’re hit when they fall. Bunya pines in suburbia are commonly fenced off for this reason. Culturally, the Bunya nut was so valuable as a food source that normally antagonistic indigenous tribes would meet to feast, trade and negotiate peace at Bunya harvest time.

[Winstonsmom]

I’ve been following the portfolio diet and I’ve been eating a trail mix I make myself which has a high proportion of roasted soy, with almonds, walnuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, and more. I have been noticing that while I seem to be consuming an awful lot of this, I have not been gaining weight. What you are saying here is making total sense to me.

[nesanesa]

Love these specific in debth topics.Under 20 mins...perfffect

[Albopepper]

The structural matrix of nuts is a double edged sword. The reduction of absorption from whole nuts is not a win win. If people are desperate to lose weight, absorbing 30% less calories might seem desirable. But that means you don't absorb as much of the other nutrients. If the cells are completely intact, then how are you absorbing the protein and all of those wonderful minerals? Eating whole nuts means you are flushing nearly a third of your food right down the drain without getting the nutrition from it that you paid for. That makes nut butters & flours sound MORE appealing, not less.

[claymor]

I eat a few handfuls of nuts every day, especially almonds and walnuts, but I do worry about the effect on my weight, which I struggle to keep down. So at 18 mins this is very reassuring.

[sicasica]

Can you also have a program on seeds, i eat seeds regularly as well as nuts